


Summer Course in Muggle Studies

by fractionallyfoxtrot



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26395489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fractionallyfoxtrot/pseuds/fractionallyfoxtrot
Summary: Gwaine invites Leon to visit him during the summer, expecting little but hoping for so much more.
Relationships: Gwaine/Leon (Merlin)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	Summer Course in Muggle Studies

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Camelot Drabble](https://camelot-drabble.livejournal.com) community and Word Limit Month. During Word Limit Month, a target word count was specified every week and works were meant to meet the target word count, no more, no less. This story was written in multiple parts for the target word counts of 150, 300, 1200, and 750, respectively.
> 
> Although I haven't been very active in the community lately, I'm always grateful for the mods that keep the Camelot Drabble community going and the kind and supportive nature of the community as a whole. Thank you!
> 
> This story also contains an appearance by pining Arthur but it didn't feel substantial enough to add the Merlin/Arthur tag to this work.

"I don’t understand. It’s a show? Like theater?"

Gwaine shook his head, trying not to laugh, never wanting to laugh at Leon’s curiosity.

"No," he said, tucking his hands behind his head. "It’s more like a film."

Leon turned his head to look at him. "A film about astronomy?"

"It’s cooler than I’m making it sound." Gwaine gestured up at the sky from where they lay in the grass. "The planetarium's got a big giant screen and it’s curved so it looks like the sky. You sit reclined so it feels like this and the films are set to rock music or classical stuff. It’s pretty fun. You should come visit me this summer, check it out."

Gwaine held his breath, staring up at the sky until Leon answered.

"I’ll ask my parents."

Gwaine grinned from ear to ear, making Leon laugh, something he always strived for.

"I can’t wait."

* * *

Gwaine waited at the train station, grinning.

He felt like he hadn’t stopped grinning since he got Leon’s letter.

He checked the time again on the large clock above the ticket windows. He was glad his mom had agreed to wait at home; there was too much downtime in waiting that she would’ve filled with questions Gwaine wasn’t prepared to answer.

In some cases because he didn’t know the answers.

He perked up when the people around him began to stir. The train pulled up to the platform, slowly coming to a stop before the conductor got off and then the flow of passengers.

Gwaine strained to see in the taller crowd.

He spotted Leon relatively quickly, anticipation heightening his senses. Leon took a few steps onto the platform, holding a small (probably enchanted) bag over his shoulder. He blended right in wearing denims and soft jumper; his Muggle stepmum was probably to thank for that.

Gwaine felt a warm-tight-as-of-yet-unnamed feeling bloom in his chest when Leon saw him and waved.

"How was your trip?" he asked, hoping it didn’t sound rehearsed.

Leon smiled and Gwaine couldn’t believe he was here. "It was nice," he answered, following Gwaine out of the crowd. "I’ve only ever ridden a train to Hogwarts."

"Do you miss the trolley?"

"A little bit."

"What do you want to do first?" Gwaine asked.

"I think I have to defer to your expertise," Leon said with a shrug. "But my stepmum suggested the cinema? I’ve seen films before but I’ve never been to the cinema. She even gave me some Muggle money for popcorn and…" Leon paused, trying to remember, "Jelly Babies."

Gwaine beamed, no longer just grinning.

He felt like he’d be beaming for weeks.

"The cinema is a perfect place to start. You’ll love it."

* * *

Gwaine was in love.

It was sickening.

He’d never liked that phrase. It was soppy and people in love were soppy and they couldn’t seem to focus on anything else.

But he didn’t know what else to call it.

Leon’s visit was going _perfectly_ , almost too perfectly for Gwaine’s comfort. He wasn’t used to things being easy or going anywhere near as he imagined but everything was going along just fine. His mum was being nice without being too embarrassing and there’d been neither hide nor hair of his sister, who was leagues away at a camp or a retreat. Gwaine really didn’t care which it was; all he cared about was whether or not Leon was having a good time.

And it really seemed like he was.

The planetarium had been a great hit. Traveling to and from the city took more time than Gwaine liked but it was more than worth it to take Leon, who was awestruck from the moment the show started until they were back at Gwaine’s getting ready for bed. The cinema had also gone over great. Leon enjoyed it so much that they saw three films in as many days. He also liked the bowling alley and the local pub. He wasn’t very good at video games but that didn’t stop him from playing with Gwaine for hours.

It was going perfectly.

Gwaine loved every second of Leon’s visit so far but he was painfully aware of how quickly it was coming to an end.

The warm glow of dusk settled over the farmland as they walked through the fair, the cool breeze blowing through the tents and stands a reminder that summer was starting to wind down. Leon would be gone in two days and in less than a month it would be time to head back to Hogwarts for their final year of school. Gwaine could feel the relentless march of time at his back and it made him feel powerless with just a touch of hopelessness.

He was running out of time.

He looked to Leon beside him, looking painfully perfect in the late summer glow. He was wearing a light jacket because Gwaine’s mum told them to take one and Leon was the type of person who listened to mums. That was just who he was: responsible, considerate, purposeful.

It hurt Gwaine’s stomach to think about it.

There was no ambiguity with Leon. It was a trait Gwaine loved in his friend but hated in the person of his affections. Leon was always honest – gentle, if his honesty was negative – and he was not someone who played games. He said what he meant and he meant what he said.

If there was any chance he felt a fraction of what Gwaine felt, Gwaine would know by now.

There had been chances, opportunities they were never granted at Hogwarts, an unprecedented amount of time spent alone and… nothing. Gwaine didn’t know what he was waiting for but he knew that it hadn’t come and it likely wasn’t coming.

They were just friends.

The sense of disappointment sinking in his stomach was something he was far more used to.

He heard Leon ask a question and he tried to focus on his friend, rather than his feelings. He forced a smile.

"Sorry, mate. What did you say?"

"I was wondering if we could get something to eat?" Leon asked. He looked unnecessarily and unfairly sheepish as he admitted, "I’m kind of getting hungry."

"Me too," Gwaine said, wanting to set Leon at ease. "I could definitely eat." He stopped to scan the options available to them, everything from fresh fruit to decadent sweets. "How about a caramel apple?"

"Maybe after some real food?" Leon suggested. "Your mum said we shouldn’t just eat sweets."

Gwaine shook his head, his smile growing fonder. "You know you don’t _have to_ listen to my mum, right? She’s not your mum."

Leon looked genuinely puzzled. "I’m a guest in her house."

"Yeah but you’re making me look bad."

Leon laughed, a sound as warm as the setting sun’s glow, and Gwaine tried to be grateful for what he had.

They walked past all of the options twice before deciding on fish and chips, caramel apples, and a bag of candy floss. ("She isn’t here, Leon! She won’t know.") It was almost too much. Gwaine was forced to hold the bag of candy floss between his teeth as he balanced a basket of fish in either hand. Leon followed his lead as they walked through the open fields looking for a place to eat their spoils, passing families on picnic blankets and local townspeople enjoying the fading warmth of summer. Gwaine stopped near the roots of a large tree growing near the fence, sitting himself down in an opening of grass. Leon waited until Gwaine was settled before handing him their chips and taking a seat next to him.

"These smell so good."

Leon nodded, having a bite of his fish. "Tastes good too," he said when his mouth was empty.

Gwaine took a large bite of fish then chips. "Good but not the best," he said around his food.

"The Three Broomsticks makes the best fish and chips."

Gwaine stopped eating and gaped at Leon.

"What?"

"You can’t be serious."

"It’s good!"

"But it’s not the best!" Gwaine argued. "The best fish and chips should be light and flaky and crispy! Wizard fish and chips are never all three. The batter is always too thick."

Leon seemed to be smiling. "Not always-"

"It is. You’re going to say I’m biased but it’s _because_ they use magic. They don’t batter the fish by hand so they don’t know it’s too thick. I still don’t understand why they insist on using magic for everything-"

Gwaine stopped talking and gaped at Leon.

Leon, who had kissed him.

It was so brief and quick and featherlight that Gwaine worried he’d imagined it. He stared at Leon, desperate for confirmation. Leon held his gaze for a moment before looking away, his face taking on a flush as his expression fell.

"I…" Leon stopped and shook his head. "I’m sorry. I didn’t… I should’ve asked-"

The end of Leon’s sentence got lost in a rough breath as Gwaine lunged at him, the two of them falling into the grass amidst their food. Gwaine didn’t think, couldn’t think, as he carefully and cautiously kissed Leon in return. It lasted a few seconds longer and only stopped so Gwaine could look at Leon with all the affection he’d been holding back.

"I would’ve said yes."

Leon smiled and Gwaine moved in, eager to learn what else he could do to make Leon smile like that. He settled with his arms around Leon’s head, his fingers playing in Leon’s curls as he kissed him slowly, deliberately, enthusiastically. He felt Leon’s hands on his back and cradling his face, holding him in an infinite moment as time melted away. Their kissing was clumsy, their teeth knocked together a few too many times, but neither of them found any reason to stop.

Leon tasted like chips and vinegar and sunshine.

Gwaine was in love.

It was perfect.

* * *

"I have a question."

Gwaine looked up from his work to see that Arthur had sat down across the table from him. He was empty-handed, no books, no parchment and quill, suggesting that he wasn’t there to ask about ancient runes.

Which was great; Gwaine hated ancient runes.

"Not the best time, Princess," he said looking back down at his scrawl of notes. It pained him to think that he'd written those notes and he still didn't understand them.

"But neither of you have told me exactly how this started."

Gwaine looked to Arthur again, feeling the last of his patience being tested.

"How what started?"

Arthur nodded in Leon’s direction.

Gwaine turned to look at him, smiling despite his annoyance at Arthur and ancient runes. Leon had the same book open in front of him, the same work set out before him, but he lacked any of the pain Gwaine felt for the subject. He actually seemed to _enjoy_ the work. He progressed diligently, making notes in a Muggle notebook Gwaine had given him, isolated from the rest of the library not by a charm but by Muggle headphones, another gift from Gwaine.

He humored Arthur, his mood slightly lifted.

"What are you asking me, Princess?"

"How did…" Arthur trailed off, looking down at the table as he traced a long knot in the wood. "You and Leon, you’ve been friends a long time before... you know. How did you know?"

It was like Arthur was trying to be more annoying than ancient runes.

"How did I know what?"

"That Leon liked you."

Gwaine laughed, forgetting his place for a moment. His sudden burst of noise earned him some glares from nearby tables but Leon, surprisingly, didn’t notice. Gwaine shook his head as Arthur waited on an answer, his brow creasing in a way that meant he thought Gwaine was making fun of him.

"I didn’t know that Leon liked me," Gwaine explained. "I had _no idea_ how he felt. Up until he kissed me, I was sure he didn’t like me at all that way and I had no chance."

Arthur’s brow creased even further but his expression had changed to confusion.

"If you didn’t know, then why did you invite him to visit during the summer?"

Gwaine shrugged. "Wishful thinking? I don’t know. I just wanted to see him, outside of Hogwarts, away from everyone else."

"Why does that matter?"

"You know it matters."

Arthur nodded reluctantly, his gaze falling to the table again before rising slowly but steadily to a point over Gwaine's shoulder.

Gwaine turned to glance at the stacks behind him. He wasn't surprised to see Merlin re-shelving books, a pile of returned books floating along beside him. Arthur's feelings for Merlin were well known by practically everyone _except_ Merlin. How Merlin still didn't know was beyond Gwaine; Arthur's undisclosed affections practically radiated off of him any time he looked in Merlin's direction.

Gwaine hoped he'd been a little more discreet.

"Look, Arthur," he said, drawing Arthur's focus back to him. "I don't really know what to tell you. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't have a lot of experience with this stuff. All I know is that I'm bloody thrilled Leon was brave enough to do something because I honestly don't know if I would've and we wouldn't be here if he hadn't. So," Gwaine shrugged, "be brave."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Be brave? That's your advice?"

"I'll remind you that _you_ came over _here_ to ask me a question."

"Fair point." Arthur gave a final nod and pushed up from the table, away from the conversation. "Thanks, Gwaine."

"Anytime, mate."

He watched Arthur take a strange route out of the library, one that kept him away from the stacks where Merlin was working. He shook his head as he stuffed his notes and work into his book. He leaned over to slide one side of Leon's headphones off his ear.

"I'm done," he said with a smile. "You want to go walk down to the lake?"

Leon took a moment to process what he said. "You're not done," he said, reaching for Gwaine's book.

"I'm done for today." Gwaine pushed Leon's hand away from the book, leaning in more until he could steal a quick kiss. "Come down to the lake with me?"

Leon pretended to resist before a smile warmed his face.

"Okay."

They were outside of the castle before Leon thought to ask.

"Did I see Arthur earlier?"


End file.
